Ron Hamilton, Shelbyville News staff writer
The Shelbyville Common Council took action Monday to help pave the way for the proposed Indiana Commerce Connector toll road.
Council members voted to support a state-sponsored study of the feasibility of the ICC. The vote was unanimous, but council President Tamara Sullivan was absent and did not vote.
Some council members were quick to point out that there would be many points along the process in the coming years when the public would be asked for their input.
"If the majority want this road stopped, it will be stopped," said Councilman Dick Fero. "I've heard that years ago, a lot of people didn't want Interstate 74. Now, those same people don't know how they'd get along without it."
Mayor Scott Furgeson believes the ICC toll road would lessen the bumper-to-bumper traffic that now clogs North State Road 9 through Greenfield.
"It would help the truck traffic," Furgeson said. "Right now, trucks are getting off Interstate 69 and going south on State Road 9 through Greenfield, on through Shelbyville, on to West State Road 44 to Interstate 65 near Franklin. This would put a stop to all that."
Council member Kim Owens made it clear that the projected path, or route, of the proposed road that appears in newspapers is just that - an illustrated possible projection.
"No one knows for sure right now if, or where, it would go," Owens said. "Without this feasibility study, there is no way of telling where the route would be. We are moving forward with the study only, and it will be paid for by the state."
"Regardless of whether or not the road is eventually built, it would be irresponsible of us not to perform a study of it," said Councilman Jeff Sponsel. "It's important that we show some kind of leadership in this."
Councilman David Phares agreed.
"I can't see why anyone would object to a feasibility study of the construction of the road," Phares said. "It's not going to cost the taxpayers any money."
In other business, the council approved three 10-year tax abatements.
PK USA asked for and received tax abatements in the amounts of $37,150 and $352,900. According to Bill Kent, vice president of human resources and corporate relations for PK, the abatements are needed for the ongoing modernization of the factory.
"The expansion and the installation of new manufacturing equipment will help us handle additional business coming in from Nissan," Kent told the board. "We've been able to grow our business on the plastic side. With this new extension, we can make more product and make it more economically."
PK USA, located at 600 Northridge Drive, currently has 500 full-time employees and 70 part-time workers at the Shelbyville plant, which is the North American headquarters for the international company. The factory produces plastic automotive parts.
The third tax abatement was in the amount of $113,700 for Jhala Properties LLC., located at 1601 Miller Ave. The owners and operators, Narendra and Sondra Jhala, plan to construct a 30-by-100-foot building addition and extension. The expansion will give the company 3,000 square feet of new space and a ramp to be used for materials storage and machining of parts. The construction should be completed within two months.
Jhala Properties employs seven full-time and two part-time employees and produces heat-treat furnaces for sale to companies in the United States and abroad.